


The Biggest Ball

by popfly



Category: Queer as Folk (US) RPF
Genre: Crack, M/M, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-08-07
Updated: 2005-08-07
Packaged: 2017-11-19 17:43:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/575924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/popfly/pseuds/popfly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gale and Randy have their cross-country RV adventure.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Biggest Ball

**Author's Note:**

> Written for thistle90 for Blogathon 2005. Sequel to [Room In the Winnie For Two Cats and a Cactus](http://archiveofourown.org/works/462292).

"Gale. You cannot be serious."

Randy was behind the wheel of the Winnebago, maneuvering the large, lumbering vehicle out of the gas station's lot and back onto the county road. Gale had just come between the two front seats, holding up a book titled "Roadside America - See the World's Largest".

"Come on Randy! The biggest ball of twine! It's like the best road trip cliche there is! How can you pass that up?"

Randy made sure the road ahead was clear before rolling his eyes in Gale's direction. "Easily, Gale. Very easily."

"But you can add twine to it!" Gale was so excited about this Randy almost wanted to smile. Almost.

"And where is this ball of twine?" Randy asked diplomatically, watching the road signs pass.

Gale mumbled something and seemed to shrink back a little. Randy tilted his head in Gale's direction, cupping one hand around his ear.

"What was that, I didn't hear you?"

Gale cleared his throat and said sheepishly, "It's somewhere in Kansas."

"Yeah." Randy nodded once and returned his hand to the wheel. "I refuse to go anywhere in Kansas. I am avoiding that state altogether if at all possible."

Gale sighed and turned. "I'm going to go feed Ralph and the cats."

Randy watched him in the rear view mirror. Gale's shoulders were slumped and when he bent down to shake cat food into the bowls they'd Velcro'd to the floor, Randy could see the dejected look on his face.

Randy sighed. He hated when Gale was all excited about something and then got let down. There was a tradition on the Queer as Folk set the first couple years of filming that every Friday there would be pie at the craft services table. Gale would get so excited about the pie. Every Friday he'd muse aloud about what flavor they would have that day, or he'd debate the merits of apple pie vs. cherry pie with Peter.

The first Friday of the third season Gale was practically bouncing on his feet at the prospect of pie. And then, no pie. He'd been crushed. Of course, Brian was supposed to be, so he could use it, but Randy had felt so bad. He wanted to run out and buy Gale a pie. Only he didn't do those sorts of things, so instead he shoved his tongue down Gale's throat in the bathroom during one of their breaks. He thought it was a fair substitute.

He wondered if it would ease the disappointment of not getting to see the ball of twine.

That night, parked in some shitty city in Indiana (Randy wondered if there was any other kind of city in Indiana), Randy tried it.

It seemed to work okay.

The next morning however, Randy woke up to see Gale sitting at the table, absently petting Aggie, the Roadside America book spread out before him.

Randy tried to not see the way Gale was caressing the picture of the twine ball with his free hand, choosing instead to busy himself pouring cereal into a bowl.

He could not ignore the sigh Gale heaved before he closed the book and stood. He pressed a kiss to Randy's neck as he passed on the way to the RV's bathroom, saying a forlorn "Morning".

Randy watched him trudge into the bathroom and pull the sliding door shut.

Randy heaved his own sigh and threw a glance at the book on the table.

Frank Stoeber of Cawker City, KS amassed a ball of twine 11 feet in diameter before he died in 1974. Cawker City, in a touching tribute, built an open-air gazebo over his ball and set it up on Highway 24 in town, where it can still be touched and whiffed by travelers. The Cawker City ball has become a community project, where locals and visitors can add twine.

Randy considered it for a moment. It almost sounded kind of cool. Then he thought again and slapped the book shut.

That night he rimmed Gale for an hour, until his jaw ached and Gale was practically vibrating under his hands. The guilt still didn't disappear.

Four days later they were standing in dusty little Cawker City, Kansas. Gale was grinning like a fool as he added his bit of twine to the ball under the gazebo. Randy couldn't help but smile then, because Gale looked so happy that Randy could deal with being in a shit town in Kansas.

Especially when his reward was a blow job that curled Randy's toes. That he could definitely deal with.

Epilogue:

"Gale, what the hell?" Randy was standing near the bed, staring at something hanging on the wall.

Gale shot an apprehensive look over his shoulder and gave a wan smile before returning his attention to the road. "Um. Well."

Randy pointed but couldn't say anything else. Gale kept looking back at him in the rear view mirror.

"How - when - how - " Randy sputtered, still pointing.

Gale chuckled ruefully. "I asked the picture guy to take it when you weren't looking. It only cost five dollars! You have a really amazing profile, you know."

Randy kept staring at the polaroid that was stuck to the fake wood paneling of the RV. It was a shot of Randy from the side, the ball of twine a hulking mass under its gazebo in the background. Half of Gale comprised the right side of the picture, and even that half of a grin made Randy's teeth itch with fury.

"I will kill you." Randy reached to tear the photo down and Gale swerved the RV, sending Randy flying away from the wall with the offensive picture on it.

"Sorry," Gale called. "Squirrel."

Randy balled his hands into fists and stalked towards the driver's seat.

"Randy, if you attack me now, we'll crash and ... " Gale trailed off, then lit up. "And your cats will die."

Randy stopped in his tracks, his nostrils flaring.

"You can top for a week if you let me keep the picture." Gale's face was plaintive in the rear view mirror. Randy stilled and felt his anger ebb slightly.

He chewed his lip and then crossed his arms. "Two weeks."

Gale grinned. "Deal."


End file.
